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Archive for June, 2016

Property Hunters in SW Florida Keep an Eye Out for Water. It’s one thing when you see the word “water” figuring prominently in descriptions of SW Florida properties. Any time that word comes into play, it’s a cinch that the property in question is more valuable than any waterless neighbors. Everyone knows that a shorefront or beachfront property is likely to be worth more than an identical inland place. In areas like Florida, condos with docks (or even access to a dock) are highly prized. Wherever a lake, river or stream is noted in a listing’s description, it’s likely to add significantly to the asking price—even if it’s only because of a distant view.

The conclusion anyone would draw from the foregoing is that, as a general principle, “water” is a desirable feature when it comes to real estate—and SW Florida real estate would be no exception.

But that’s only for good water.

Bad water is something else again. Bad water is the kind of water you can’t do anything useful with. If it’s not there for recreation, or even for scenic enjoyment—then you are dealing with “bad” water! It includes an entire catalogue of water that is unwelcome. The only thing you can do with this kind of water is to get rid of it.

Whenever you are taking a look at property in SW Florida, water should be near the top of the list of things to be watching out for (that is, if it isn’t mentioned in the listing). Later on, your property inspector will check for the wrong kind of water; but if you keep your eyes open, you can do some preliminary detective work yourself. And it does take detective work, because bad water has usually already made its getaway before you arrive. But it can’t help but leave a few clues. Here are some common ones:

Foundation clues. A single inch of rain creates 600 gallons of runoff—and if that water isn’t properly directed away from the foundation, nothing good will come of it. Piles of silt or landscaping gullies where they don’t belong are two clues.

Gutter clues. Accomplices that can cause foundation issues reveal themselves in the guise of gutters that aren’t doing their job. A visual reconnoitering of the overhead gutters and downspouts is usually sufficient to spot these perps.

Stain clues. Standing water will usually leave forensic evidence, long after it has fled the scene. Pavement, flooring, or even ceiling stains are clues; and walls can show efflorescence (the minerals left after water has evaporated).

Olfactory clues. Moisture in walls and in attic spaces can be hard to see, but easy to sniff. If it gives rise to mildew on the underside of the roof, work needs to be done!

Property Hunters in SW Florida Keep an Eye Out for Water. Even if you aren’t planning to put your SW Florida property on the market any time soon, getting an early preventative bead on drainage problems can ultimately become a true dollar-saver. Of course, when it’s time to sell—I hope you’ll give me a call!

Selling Real Estate in SW Florida Gets a New Sales Alphabet. Today, selling real estate in SW Florida (or Kalamazoo, for that matter) has been transformed in important ways. In others, it’s remained pretty much as it was 50 years ago. Let’s start with the changes:

The buyers’ ability to identify properties has undergone a revolution. Fifty years ago, the process of hunting for and comparing available homes was constrained by the availability of information. Selling real estate in SW Florida involved getting the word out, largely through printed media. Newspaper and magazine advertisements drove buyers’ awareness—or else the agent’s Xeroxed listing sheets. That was about it (in addition to driving around, looking for ‘For Sale’ signs).

Buyer’s ability to readily compare homes has likewise been vastly improved. ‘Vastly improved’ is an understatement: anyone selling SW Florida real estate today knows that their listing will be instantly available online, including a wealth of detail formerly only availableto interested buyers who obtained a copy of the listing sheet. Now it’s all there on their laptop or smart phone screen, side-by-side with every other comparable property’s. When the drill-down data (items like ‘cost per square foot’ ‘projected mortgage payment’) is instantly available for side-by-side comparisons, selling real estate without being able to demonstrate genuine value is an impossibility.

Today financial visibility—in terms of the viability of a proposed purchase—is no longer anything like the mystery it was in times past. The process of filling out a mortgage application and having to wait interminably for the bankers’ next questions has yielded to the realities of a considerably more competitive arena. Online rate ‘locks’ can actually happen (although the actual verification of same remains a process subject to the more traditional pace).

These fundamental shifts in the buying and selling of SW Florida real estate make the whole process much more efficient for buyers and sellers. By improving the ease and likelihood of making the best match for each, it also builds buyer confidence through transparency.

Of course, there still are elements that remain largely unchanged. One is the need for sellers to document and put forward their property’s selling points above and beyond their listing’s spare mechanical data points…that is, to bring creative marketing experience to the table. Selling real estate, like every other kind of selling, is at its best when it connects with buyers by firing their imaginations in positive and uplifting ways. Another is the continuing need to make sure all the documentation is letter-perfect: i’s dotted and t’s crossed.

Selling Real Estate in SW Florida Gets a New Sales Alphabet. There once was an adage about the ABC’s of selling: “Always Be Closing!” Today, making SW Florida real estate transactions happen isn’t about bringing pressure to bear on anyone! It’s supplying the service of aiding and abetting our newly transparent marketplace. My own “ABC” works out to be more like, “Always Be Contributing!”—a corny way of saying my job is to help SW Florida’s buyers and sellers make the best match reliably and effortlessly. The first step is to give me a call!

SW Florida Home Automation—Ideally, Smart (but not Too Smart!) There: I said it. We all knew it would happen, but some of us hoped it would happen later. The prospect of our house being smarter than we are has been out there since as far back as when the first Terminator movie hit VHS (or was it Beta? Or Betamax?)…

Anyway, the “Smart House” idea has always had such a science-fictiony patina, it allowed many SW Florida homeowners the valiant hope that the whole thing might be delayed—at least until there was a flying car parked in every garage. Now it looks like our hopes are soon to be dashed. At least, that seemed to be the news coming out of Spain last week.

According to reports from last week’s Mobile World Congress assembled in Barcelona, “the Iot was pervasive.” If you haven’t heard what “the IoT” is, maybe you’d better sit down—

The IoT is short for “the Internet of Things.” It’s a logical development. For home automation to go mainstream, every smart part of it has to communicate, one way or another, with everything else. Home Wi-Fi plus the web opens many possibilities. “M2M” devices are ones that use a wireless network…well, you get the idea. When your Smart Refrigerator needs to tell you it is about to run out of 1% milk, it has to let your Smartphone know, right? Or else message your car’s digital console. Or else tell the Smart Grocery Store to send a drone over…Since all those are Things, and the best way to transfer information is through the Internet…voila! The Internet of Things.

More news from Barcelona will follow, but first I hasten to mention that there are lots of current useful innovations for SW Florida homeowners; innovations that are smart—but not so smart that anyone needs to feel threatened. For instance, heating and cooling are perfect for IOT. The ability to control your energy-eating heating and cooling devices via your smart phone can already save a lot on utility bills. Older automated systems relied on painstaking day-by-day (and even hour-by-hour) programming, yet still didn’t account for changes in schedule. With a phone-triggered remote command system, you can work late at the office yet easily delay home heating or cooling until just before you get home.

Web-enabled home security systems make possible inexpensive remote monitoring by professionals—or even clever innovations like the one that rings your phone when someone approaches the front door, or lets you answer a doorbell ring from your phone. It can sound like you’re on the intercom inside the house. Would-be burglars hate that one (even more than the automated Rottweiler barking setups) …

But back to the news from Barcelona, with exhibitors’ demo devices embodying the latest ideas for what we will be needing when the IoT really gets going. Smart tape measures to beam measurements to your phone; wearable trackers that eavesdrop on your children (a “smart bracelet for children”); “Petfit” for overweight dogs (it keeps track of your pet’s steps, but, unfortunately, is not water-resistant yet); Samsung’s internet fridge (with a 21” screen that displays—well, a shopping list) …

SW Florida Home Automation—Ideally, Smart (but not Too Smart!) Actually, when you wade into the details, maybe the lot isn’t quite ready to overwhelm our SW Florida castles, at least not just yet. Home automation may still be limited to truly useful innovations for a while—those that are smart, but not too smart—the kind that add clear value to a home when it’s time to sell. When that future occasion arises, I hope you (or the refrigerator) will remember to call me!

Will a Low Down Payment Option Benefit SW Florida Borrowers? Last week brought an announcement­­ that should get the attention of a large segment of would-be SW Florida home buyers­­—particularly those­­ who have been stymied by the difficulty of trying to build their credit scores by paying all the monthly bills on time while simultaneously saving up a pile of cash for a down payment.

For too many SW Florida nine-to-fivers, the two ambitions are achievable—just not at the same time. Although inflation hasn’t been horrendous, even a modest degree of rising prices causes a crunch for those whose incomes are flat. For many Americans, coming up with the down payment has been an immovable stumbling block.

Into the breach came last week’s Bank of America announcement of a new mortgage product. Cutting to the chase, these home loans will be structured to allow qualified homeowners to make down payments of as little as 3%.

Yes, 3%!

If you don’t believe there’s ever any free lunch, you may be wondering why, if this makes sense to a bank, it hasn’t been offered until now. The answer has to do with the way the FHA regulates home loans.

The Federal Housing Administration insures banks against defaults on FHA-backed mortgages (they allow down payments of as little as 3.5%) but sometimes holds the banks responsible when borrowers fail to repay. In fact, the FHA won billions in settlements in recent years when bank paperwork turned out to be inaccurate. The banks were not pleased: they said many of the errors were minor. They also decided to cut back on offering FHA loans. That had the effect of slowing the residential real estate market across the U.S.—and SW Florida was no exception.

This new home loan structure is Bank of America’s solution for “families of modest means”—a group everyone agrees has been left out in the cold. It avoids FHA rules by avoiding the FHA altogether, instead relying on the backing of Freddie Mac and a nonprofit fund. Among the guidelines for the new low down payment product are requirements that borrowers have credit scores of at least 660 (FHA allows 580) and incomes that are lower than the area’s median. Because there will be no requirement that borrowers pay for private mortgage insurance, the loans should be less expensive than corresponding FHA mortgages. Great deal!

It remains to be seen how widely available such loans are going to be for SW Florida borrowers. Bank of America will at first be capping the number of loans it issues while it tests the market. But it’s a sure thing that other national lenders will be watching what happens…and very likely rolling out their own low down payment products. It should be one answer for folks who have proved they are deserving and responsible—yet have found themselves closed out of the market.

Will a Low Down Payment Option Benefit SW Florida Borrowers? As the spring selling season heats up, many potential opportunities also open up for sharp-eyed prospective buyers. If you are one, I’m standing by to help! Please Call Me!

SW Florida Landlords & the Professional Property Management. Everyone who owns a rental property in SW Florida makes a continuing management decision concerning how much of the day-to-day operational responsibility to outsource. Some are inclined to tackle the nuts and bolts of tenant management, while others are content to leave it to one of SW Florida’s professional property managers.

If the main motive for acquiring the rental was for its value as a long-term real estate investment, there is an increased likelihood that one of SW Florida’s professional property management firms will get the nod. Beyond the dollars-and-cents dimension—which can boil down to a calculation on how you value your own time—there can be personal elements behind the decision. Do you enjoy keeping a close watch on all your business dealings? Or is minimizing the hassle factor a higher priority? Those are tradeoffs only you can calculate, or recalculate if your initial decision doesn’t work out.

Another factor can come into play—one that’s seldom mentioned or written about. It has to do with another party in the business arrangement that is being created: the tenants!

When all is said and done, setting up the way a rental property is to be managed is identical to creating the operations blueprint for any ongoing business enterprise. Both involve a customer relations element. As landlord, you are the proprietor, and the tenants are the customers. Every business that hopes to maximize its return on operations soon experiences why taking customer satisfaction into account pays dividends (at least, the more successful ones do)!

By that yardstick, the decision on whether to choose professional property management is not only about a landlord’s willingness to expand the time and effort their personal involvement will require. That choice should also take the tenant’s satisfaction into account…and on that score, the years of experience that come with a veteran SW Florida professional property management firm can tilt the scales in its favor.

Having a proven system for handling trouble calls in a timely manner is one obvious advantage—as is being able to tap the talent of professionals whose full-time job it is to take those inevitable situations in stride.

SW Florida Landlords & the Professional Property Management. Locating and helping you acquire choice SW Florida investment properties is one way I help my clients. Another is to provide a solid resource for new owners as they go about organizing their ongoing tenant-handling arrangements. Call me anytime to discuss today’s great current array of available investment properties—and the best ways you can make the most of them!

First Step for Choosing the Right SW Florida Real Estate Agent. When interviewed following the successful close of their home’s sale, a convincing majority of homeowners say that one of the most decisive factors came early on: choosing the right real estate agent. The reasons given go further than simply chaperoning the business transaction. The right agent does more than pare down the stress level that can creep into the process at any moment; does more than handle the numerous contractual issues that need to be addressed before a sale can reach a tidy conclusion.

The right agent lets you rest easy, knowing that your listing is getting the full energy and professional attention it deserves. When the choice is the right one, you know that your property is on display 24-7—being presented to the potential buyers most likely to buy.

Unless you inherited the property, you probably have clear memories of the SW Florida agent who was there when you originally bought. If it’s a positive image of a friendly, knowledgeable professional who tackled the details with skill and energy—and who seemed to make everything somehow easier than you expected—then that someone is sure to have the inside track.

If that’s not the case (or if enough time has passed that he or she is no longer available), you’ve got to choose your agent.But rather than letting the impending task loom as an arduous undertaking, take heart! Consider that you are in the proverbial catbird seat (whatever that is). Just look at it from my perspective, as a real estate agent in SW Florida.

Every SW Florida real estate agent is engaged in a sort of retail business. The homes for sale are our “products” on the shelf. Now, although it’s true that every real estate agent in the area is able to expose their buyer clients to the entire “inventory”—including the other SW Florida agents’ homes for sale—it’s much more desirable when our own “shelves” are stocked with great properties.

That means that your home is in strong demand among SW Florida real estate agents, and most of them will do their best to make hiring them as painless as possible. If you have some direct questions you’d like to ask (but would normally be too polite to do so), you needn’t hesitate. “What homes weren’t you able to sell last year…and why not?” is a good one. So is, “Can you give me the contact information for three recent clients?”

The right real estate agent—the one you want—won’t make you feel as if you’ve posed an awkward question. A great agent will be able put you at ease in any situation. If he or she fails to do so, that’s not the right agent! (and finding that out means your interview succeeded).

First Step for Choosing the Right SW Florida Real Estate Agent. Selecting the right SW Florida real estate agent to sell your property is the logical first step because it makes all the following steps so much easier. I hope you’ll include me on your list of the most likely candidates…and give me a call to prove why you should!

The SW Florida Spring Selling Season Couldn’t Wait. Okay—it’s understandable if that seems like a somewhat premature announcement, but it is verifiable from any number of sources. Never mind that this year, spring doesn’t officially arrive in SW Florida until March 20…but that’s only what astronomers say (and they can’t even decide whether Pluto is a planet). Meteorologists take issue with them, anyway. It’s always March 1 as far as meteorologists are concerned. But this year’s Godzilla El Niño has made everything they say subject to revision. And anyway, we’re talking about real estate—and when it comes to real estate, spring is here already!

Now, it may be true that if you look on one of those bank calendars you got in the mail last December, it’s likely to tell you that we’re weeks away from the change in seasons. And depending on what the latest weather seems to be doing, winter may seem to be hanging on for a while longer.

But nimble SW Florida real estate watchers know they can’t believe everything they read (or see happening outside in the garden). Cherry blossoms can’t call the shots when it comes to announcing SW Florida’s spring selling season, any more than tulips can. And that groundhog can stay in his den, for all the difference it makes to home sales.

This is fact: according to the real estate industry’s calendar, the spring selling season—in SW Florida and everywhere else across the nation—has definitely sprung!

Supporting evidence has flooded in from everywhere. For example:

Home Depot just announced it is hiring 80,000 workers for spring. These are the folks who work the cash registers [nowadays, shouldn’t they be called “plastic card registers?”] and help us wander up and down the aisles, looking for things we can’t describe exactly. Without them, spring wouldn’t be the same. With them, spring is clearly underway.

Internet real estate behemoth Zillow came out advising that everybody who is thinking about taking advantage of the spring selling season should start preparing their property “NOW”—and that was two weeks ago!

CNBC put it in real-time: “Spring housing season kicks off with record short supply” was their headline. If CNBC says so, who could argue?

Baseball teams have hightailed it into camp. That should end the discussion…

The SW Florida Spring Selling Season Couldn’t Wait. These harbingers of the spring selling season should certainly mean more than robins hopping across lawns or yellow and pink Peeps appearing on grocery store shelves. And even for any overly cautious souls who decide to wait for the bank calendars’ say-so, taking full advantage of the spring selling season in SW Florida necessarily calls for advance preparation. A strong way to start is by giving me a call!

Top Posts & Pages

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